Off-Price Retail Industry Veteran Margarita
Giannantonio named Chief Merchandising Officer and Proven Marketing
Leader John Alpaugh named Chief
Marketing Officer
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 9, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG), one of America's
largest home discount retailers, today announced the appointment of
two new members of its leadership team. Off-price retail industry
veteran Margarita Giannantonio has
been named Chief Merchandising Officer and retail industry brand
and performance marketing leader John
Alpaugh has joined Big Lots as Chief Marketing Officer.
"We've worked diligently to find the right thought and people
leaders for these two roles, and Margarita and John emerged clearly
from our searches as the right leaders to take us forward," said
Bruce Thorn, President and CEO, of
Big Lots. "Working together, Margarita, John and their teams will
shape how our customer's experience our brand, and optimize our
cross-channel offering of exceptional bargains, treasures and
essentials."
Margarita
Giannantonio
Executive Vice President, Chief
Merchandising Officer
As Chief Merchandising Officer, Giannantonio will be responsible
for shaping and leading the company's merchandising strategy across
all product categories. Giannantonio joins the executive leadership
team effective Nov. 14, 2022,
reporting to Bruce Thorn.
"Margarita is a deeply accomplished off-price retail industry
leader with more than 30 years of experience in merchandising,
sales, marketing, and product development in the home, housewares,
and apparel categories," Thorn said. "Margarita's creativity,
extensive experience in off-price retail, and financial acumen,
make her a great fit for Big Lots. Her leadership in merchandising
will be invaluable as we intensify our focus on bargains and
treasures to deliver exceptional value for our customers."
Giannantonio spent the last decade with TJX, which includes
off-price retail brands like HomeGoods, HomeSense, T.J. Maxx and
Marshalls. She was most recently Senior Vice President and General
Merchandise Manager of TJX Canada, where she led teams responsible
for merchandise strategy and financial plans. She also previously
served in roles with Hudson's Bay
Company, a major multi-brand retailer, Incredible Clothing Company,
The House2/Stylekraft Sportswear, and Hugo
Boss Canada.
"I'm grateful to Bruce and the leadership team at Big Lots for
the opportunity to join them in their compelling mission to help
people live big and save lots," Giannantonio said. "The company is
guided by an inspiring growth strategy and is uniquely positioned
in the marketplace. It's clear that the brand holds a special place
in the hearts of its loyal customers, and I look forward to
continuing to deliver more of the bargains and treasures they love
most."
Giannantonio holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business
Administration from the University of Western
Ontario, a degree in fashion design from Ryerson University, a Master of Arts Degree from
the University of Toronto, and has
completed professional development work in leadership at
Harvard University. She has been
recognized by the Canadian Woman's Business Association as the
"Woman of the Year."
John Alpaugh
Senior
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
As Chief Marketing Officer, Alpaugh is responsible for managing
the company's brand and marketing strategies and executions.
Alpaugh has joined the executive leadership team, also reporting to
Bruce Thorn.
"John's background includes a deep and diverse set of
experiences, among them brand positioning and launch, enterprise
strategy, customer insights and analytics, eCommerce, market
research, and budget management," Thorn said. "John has a proven
track record of marketing excellence, is a strong collaborator, and
possesses a great mix of analytical and practical instincts. His
leadership will be vital as we build an even stronger Big Lots
using effective, efficient, innovative, data-driven and
tech-enabled marketing approaches to drive results."
Building on his successes as a business planner for IBM, John
spent six years in Frankfurt,
Germany, with Procter and
Gamble in brand management before holding various leadership roles
with PetSmart. During his time with PetSmart, John developed the
company's new brand architecture and eCommerce and omnichannel
strategies, enhanced the loyalty program with the addition of 7
million new rewards signups, developed a customer-needs framework
to better the customer experience, and dramatically improved the
advertising media mix driving a higher return on investment. These
efforts contributed significantly to the company's meaningful
growth in sales and share price. John's 16 years with PetSmart
included senior leadership roles in marketing, specialty
merchandising, and strategic planning, and culminated with four
years as the senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
Most recently, John was the CEO of CyberMark, a digital marketing
solutions provider to multi-location businesses, before
successfully selling the company in June
2022.
"I'm thrilled to join Big Lots and the exceptional leadership
team in Columbus," Alpaugh said.
"Big Lots offers so much of what customers are looking for today,
and we have a tremendous opportunity to build on the great work
done to this point to better understand our customer, optimize our
marketing spend, and deliver breakthrough messaging."
ABOUT BIG LOTS
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots,
Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is one of America's largest home discount
retailers, operating more than 1,440 stores in 48 states, as well
as a best-in-class ecommerce platform with expanded fulfillment and
delivery capabilities. The Company's mission is to help customers
"Live Big and Save Lots" by offering unique treasures and
exceptional bargains on everything for their home, including
furniture, seasonal decor, kitchenware, pet supplies, food items,
laundry and cleaning essentials and more. Big Lots is the recipient
of Home Textiles Today's 2021 Retail Titan Award. For more
information about the company or to find the store nearest you,
visit biglots.com.
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SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.